The love for Topo — fanatics often refer to it by the single word — comes as no surprise to Dorian Arcos, a manager at San Antonio’s White Elephant Coffee Co.

His shop uses Topo in several drinks made with fresh fruit and a touch of sugary syrup. The shop also provides a pour of Topo with every order of espresso, a custom in finer coffee shops.

“There’s just something about the carbonation. It’s balanced incredibly well,” Arcos said. “We tried making our drinks with several other mineral waters, but none of them beat Topo Chico.”

And it’s not just performance that matters, he noted.

“I think it’s pretty important to the community in general,” Arcos said. “It’s one of those nostalgic things for San Antonians.”

Topo Chico has been in production since 1895. The mountain known as Cerro del Topo Chico in Monterrey provides the springs from which the mineral water is sourced. According to legend, those waters have curative properties.

Aztec king Moctezuma I Ilhuicamina, who died more than 20 years before European explorers arrived in the Americas, had a beautiful daughter with a rare disease, the story goes. Acting on the advice of priests, the king sent the princess and an expeditionary party far north.

There, they came across a mountain bearing the likeness of a woman’s face and the smaller Cerro del Topo Chico, or “little mole hill,” and made camp.

Bathing and drinking from the springs energized the priests and chiefs who made the trek, and, more importantly, restored the princess’ health. The site is held in reverential regard to his day.

Coke has a history of scooping up promising competitors. Monster Beverages, FUZE Beverages, Vitamin Water and Minute Maid now alla are in Coke’s control.

Those transitions caused a similar concern among respective brand partisans that Coke would, through deliberate intention or benign neglect, dispel the magic of their favorite drinks. Not surprisingly, those same concerns came along with the Topo Chico purchase.

Not all have a doom-and-gloom outlook on the acquisition. Certain strategic advantages come with having one of the world’s biggest corporations as a parent. Broader distribution, increased production and the potential lower price is certainly appealing to Tim Rafferty. He slings somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 bottles per week in mixed drinks alone at White Buffalo Bar in Marathon’s historic Gage Hotel.

“They’re every bit as expensive as a beer,” Rafferty said, noting a single 12-ounce bottle sets him back about $1.30. “And with all the demand, prices have gone up 8 to 10 bucks per case.”

White Buffalo, Rafferty said, uses Topo in most of its cocktails, but one stands above all the rest. Ranch Water, essentially a margarita diluted with mineral water, is the bar’s best-selling sip behind only regular-strength margaritas. The drink’s rise in popularity — San Antonio chef Jason Dady offers a version at his recently opened chophouse Range as do several other bars in San Antonio and Austin — has mirrored a growing demand for Topo Chico in recent years.

Serving the drink to customers in a tourist pass-through has given Rafferty an appreciation for the subtle nuances in the ways Texans take their Topo.

Dallasites, he said, like their Ranch Water sans the orange liqueur included in a traditional margarita and topped off with lots of bubbles. Houston residents, on the other hand, prefer more punch, with tequila, lime and Topo poured in equal proportions.

But no matter the customization, the Topo always is there.

“No one ever asks for club soda any more,” Rafferty said. “I’ve been out here 15 years. Everything used to be scotch and soda. now it’s Tito’s and Topo. Glenlivet and Topo. It’s definitely a trend. If you go to the city of Marfa, you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t have a Topo in their hand.”

Justus Flynn, general manager at San Antonio soda shop Rocket Fizz, has seen that trend here, as well. With an inventory of more than 500 bottled sugary drinks, Topo Chico holds its own against the competition in sales, a baffling reality to the sweet-toothed Flynn.

“We have a hard time keeping it on the shelf, which I think is weird,” Flynn, who moved to Texas from Utah, said. “I think it’s gross.”

Customers, dripping sweat after a stop at the Alamo a block away, often reach for Topo to cool down. He attributes that, as much to anything, to successful presentation.

“It’s a see-though bottle. Most are a dark brown,” Flynn said. “It definitely sticks out on the shelf. It definitely has a more appealing look than some of the sodas that are, in my opinion, better.”

Rafferty sees Topo’s rise as part of a cyclical trend that will eventually wane. But there’s one thing he’s confident of: Texans won’t be reaching overseas for mineral water anytime soon.

“We could be at peak Topo, for sure. I know how trends work in bars,” Rafferty said. “Mineral water is a small market. But you definitely won’t see any French or Italian brands taking over. Perrier and San Pellegrino had their chance.”